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A TV journalist who has reported extensively on varied matters, from politics, religion, breaking news events to natural disasters. This is an attempt to create a space for larger and deeper issues that don't make the headlines. At least not enough

Classroom of Hope

In the mosaic of bright, smiling self-portraits in a Jagannath Bhatankar Municipal School classroom, one stands out. It’s that of a little boy with his right eye drowning in a big, blue pool of water. The artist, a 10-year-old, suffers from retinoblastoma, a common malignant eye tumour in children. Barring that one telltale sign, the 30-odd sketches by children carry no signs that they are all under treatment for various kinds of cancer.

Helping to strengthen that sense of normality is Canshala, a school for children with cancer which operates inside the municipal school; a first-of-its-kind initiative started in Mumbai in November by the NGO Cankids in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The school is in close proximity to major cancer hospitals and train stations, which makes it easy to access. If this initiative becomes viable, Cankids hopes to replicate it in other states. Cankids is headquartered in Delhi and has centres in Chennai and Bangalore, besides Mumbai.

“Worldwide, 70-80% of children can be cured of cancer,” says Priti Dhall, director, Cankids. “But in India it’s just 40% because families access treatment late or abandon it because they feel it’s hopeless. We help with funds, treatment and emotional support.” The school is a step in that direction. “It creates a sense of normalcy. The right environment makes them stronger,” believes Dhall.

Watching the 30-35 children aged 5-16 (some with walkers, others on crutches) inside the sunny, colourful classroom, one gets a glimpse of just how determined they are to overcome the restrictions.

For nearly a year, Anu Yadav, 14, was treated for tuberculosis instead of bone cancer back home in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. She was left virtually paralysed. It was only after her parents managed to put funds together and bring her to the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, that she was diagnosed correctly. She recently started walking again with the aid of a walker. So determined is she to make up for lost time that she has often walked the 30-minute distance from hospital to school when she has missed the Canshala bus. “I am learning so much here,” she says. “My classmates back home don’t speak English. But I do. I am getting to catch up on all the lessons I have missed over the last two years.”

A timid Alisha Khan, 7, under treatment for brain cancer, has found her voice here. She comes just three days a week as she lives very far. “She is up and ready at 7am on those days,” says mother Farzana. “This school has changed her. She learnt to speak up”.

Cankids’ efforts are directed mainly at underprivileged children, especially those who come from outside Mumbai. “We found families waiting all day in hospitals for test results, with the children sitting by,” says Surabhi Kakar, mentor, Canshala. So Cankids started Chattai clinics in the leading cancer hospitals. Chattai clinics were set up at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children and Sion Hospital. Cane carpets were put in a hospital corner and the children would gather there to read or paint. These informal schools run in the leading cancer hospitals. “At the clinics they could read and play. Many of these children are in Mumbai for years and they are forced to drop out of school,” says Kakar.

Ganesh Kendile, 11, from Dhule, Maharashtra, came to Mumbai when he was detected with bone cancer in the leg. He was 5 at the time. His parents had to mortgage their home and leave his siblings behind. “Earlier he would be alone in the dharamshala(resthouse) while we worked odd jobs,” says mother Kunda. “Now he is looked after and he is studying”.

Following the BMC tie-up, the children have access to formal school education, free books, uniforms and the midday meal scheme. “We have a school bus which picks them up,” says Dhall. “Our health worker checks them every day because they are susceptible to infections.”

There are four full-time teachers, which is not adequate given that many of these children need personal attention given their varied ages and needs. They are grouped according to age and taught what they would be learning otherwise in schools back home. Helping the full-time staff are volunteers like Rakesh Pahawa, 63, a retired software engineer who teaches math to older students. “They are very industrious and have a great desire to learn,” says Pahawa. “We teach them what they would be learning in school back home so there is no great effort involved in rehabilitating them.”

Going ahead, Canshala wants to provide homeschooling for those who are too sick to attend class. Funds and volunteers, however, are a stumbling block. “If we had funds, we would have more buses and we could reach more kids,” says Dhall. “A regular therapist would also make a big difference.”

Even with their limited resources, the school is making a profound difference. In a life bracketed by hospitals and dingydharamshalas, it’s an oasis that brings the life back into these children’s lives. A belief that despite whatever they may be going through now, there is much to look forward to.